


fate knows best

by sunnyangel (orphan_account)



Series: it was my first love [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Red Strings of Fate, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/sunnyangel
Summary: They say folklores aren’t real. Jaehyun begs to differ.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Series: it was my first love [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1821496
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	fate knows best

They say folklores aren’t real. Jaehyun begs to differ.

There is a thin line between fantasy and reality. Sometimes, though, fantasy is just as real as reality could get. With the strings tainting his vision all the damn time, Jaehyun can’t help but to wish for an alternative way of handling the unknown. Of all the people in the entire planet, why did the Heavens have to assign the least experienced person when it comes to love and every little complicated thing?

It could get fascinating at times, though. For years, he had witnessed the different kinds of love and all its dimensions, whether the good or the bad, it was always an interesting phase for him. One time, when he was about 4-years-old, he had the ability to shock his parents’ core when he asked them why his auntie and uncle were breaking-up.

“What do you mean, baby?” His mom asked, slight panic tainting her eyes as she shot a quick glance over to her husband who was just as shocked as her. Jaehyun only stared at them, completely oblivious to the fact that he had just revealed a family secret that wasn’t meant to be announced yet.

“Their strings,” Jaehyun pursed his lower lip. “It’s fading.”

He thought it was normal at first. I mean, what could a 4-year-old child think of those red strings attached to people’s pinky finger? Surely, he won’t immediately think of the infamous red string of fate, right?

Unrequited ones are the most common, too. Countless of string would overlap each other all over the place. On random tables, on people’s old and dirty shoes, sometimes even on the hood of cars, but most of the time, just scattered on the ground, glinting and flickering, all connecting two heartbeats that are currently beating for someone else. It made Jaehyun a bit confused and agitated at times, but nevertheless, still interesting.

As interesting as it was, though, it could still get a bit too suffocating and just overall obnoxious.

“Look at him,” Johnny snickered and casted a quick glance towards Dong Sicheng, a well-known dancer in their campus, who was leaning in way too close to a red faced freshman. Jaehyun ignored him while Yuta groaned beside him, growing very impatient and just a tad bit annoyed at the scene.

“It’s always like that every damn year,” Yuta huffed. He was wearing a gray hooded jacket over his uniform, and Jaehyun swear he had seen him wear that just a couple of days ago. It even had a small stain at the hem.

“Well, luckily for you, he’ll be going back to China next year, so you won’t have to see him flirting with random people all year,” Johnny shrugged. “I heard he got accepted into some prestigious dance school and was offered a full scholarship because of his performance.”

“He is?” Yuta’s eyes widened, his voice a bit too loud. Some students glanced at their way, even Dong Sicheng and the freshman he’s with.

“Yeah, so your time’s running out.”

“I haven’t even talked to him yet! Not even once!”

Jaehyun lightly shook his head and opened his locker. He shoved a bunch of books inside before closing it again, already a bit tired of hearing his friends’ gossip. He glanced at Yuta’s string and saw the color glowing brighter than usual. He turned to Dong Sicheng and saw him still staring at their group.

“For fuck’s sake, Yuta, just ask him out! It’s already our last year in high school and you’re still whining about your stupid crush on him!” Johnny groaned and rolled his eyes.

“I agree,” Jaehyun seconded. “I mean, even if it doesn’t happen this year, I’m pretty sure the string would still find a way to make your relationship happen, but I guess a simple hi or hello won’t do any harm.”

Yuta pursed his lips and glanced at his hands. He couldn’t see the string, of course. None of them can except for Jaehyun.

Aside from Jaehyun’s family, his closest friends were some of the few people who knew about the string. Well, actually, a lot of people have heard about it, but most of them refused to believe such a thing. I mean, who would believe that kind of stuff, right? No one would, for sure. They can’t even see the infamous string Jaehyun always talked about when growing up. It was a good thing he learned how to shut up about it. Now everyone thinks it’s just part of his imagination when he was still a child.

“Are you sure he’s my soulmate?” Yuta asked Jaehyun, glancing back at Dong Sicheng for a split second and whispering the last word. Jaehyun stared at him with a nonchalant expression, nodding once to show his answer.

Johnny chuckled when Yuta groaned in frustration. “Just do it, Yuta. I’m pretty sure he’s a nice person.”

“Easy for you to say,” Yuta grumbled and adjusted the strap on his bag. “I hate this. I develop a small crush on someone, and then suddenly, Jaehyun comes in and tells me I’m destined to be with that person? It’s so stressful!”

Jaehyun shrugged. “Then don’t dwell on it too much. You have your whole life to still figure things out.”

“What about me?” Johnny lifted both of his hands and stared at it. “How’s my string?”

Jaehyun glanced at the pale string tied around Johnny’s left pinky finger. There was still a hint of color, alright, but compared to others, it was pale. Sometimes, your soulmate could be at the other side of the globe, and you can’t do anything about it. Unfortunately, it seems like that is Johnny’s case with his significant other.

“Still the same,” Jaehyun sighed.

Johnny groaned and dropped his hands. Jaehyun patted him on the back and started to walk away from his friends, his lips pursed into a thin line.

He arrived in class right before the bell rang. Jaehyun sighed and walked to his seat, right at the back of the class beside the windows. He placed his bag onto his desk and slumped on his chair, already bored despite the class not even starting yet. He really hates History.

Students quickly piled inside the room, scurrying over to their seat before the teacher arrived. Jaehyun rolled his eyes at the noise coming from his classmates and turned his whole attention to the view outside the windows. The trees were far more interesting than all of his classes combined, which was sad. Really sad.

“Alright, guys. Listen up!” A familiar voice rang out.

Jaehyun glanced at his own string and saw it faintly glowing. He diverted his attention towards the front and saw Lee Taeyong, their class president, behind the teacher’s desk and holding a bunch of print out papers. The string tied around his left pinky grew a shade brighter, doing the same to Jaehyun’s.

“Mr. Lee won’t be able to attend class today, but he left an activity for us to finish. It’s quite long but he said we’re allowed to use our textbooks for reference.”

Some students groaned. Jaehyun sighed and pulled out his textbook from his bag while Lee Taeyong started to distribute the papers. Some even had the audacity to mutter blatant curses, knowing all too well no one would act as a snitch, ‘cause let’s face it, it’s high school, and everyone hates high school no matter how angelic they seem to be.

“Do you have an extra pen?” Park Sooyoung asked after passing the last paper to him.

“This is my last one,” Jaehyun showed her his pen. “Sorry.”

“Oh, okay. Tha—“

“Jaehyun. Sooyoung. Focus on your own papers.”

Park Sooyoung quickly turned away from Jaehyun, mumbling an apology to Taeyong before hastily opening her textbook. Jaehyun, on the other hand, remained unfazed. He tapped his pen onto his desk and glanced at Taeyong who was now focused on his own activity.

What a buzzkill, Jaehyun thought.

More than half an hour later, Jaehyun finally finished his paper. He sighed and put down his pen, feeling his fingers a bit cramped from all the writing he did. He stared at his paper for a few seconds before standing from his seat and making his way towards the teacher’s desk where Lee Taeyong was, still preoccupied with his activity.

Jaehyun’s right hand felt warm as he placed his paper on the neatly stacked pile just beside Taeyong. He saw his string grow a deep, intense shade of red, the same shade that always appear whenever he gets a bit too close to his soulmate. For a split second, Jaehyun felt the urge to tug at the only thing connecting the both of them. Would that do something?

Taeyong looked up from his paper and saw Jaehyun intensely staring at his left hand. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Uh, do you need anything?”

Jaehyun blinked and snapped out of his thoughts, clearing his throat before meeting Taeyong’s doe-like eyes. Fuck.

“Uh…” Jaehyun felt his mind go blank. “Can I go to the bathroom…?”

Taeyong stared at him. “Sure?”

“Thanks.”

Jaehyun took long strides towards the door, scurrying over his own steps. He looked like a flushed baby, but he didn’t know that yet.

That was probably the only interaction he had with his soulmate the whole year. It’s not like he’s afraid of talking to him or anything, it’s just that it’s fucking difficult for him to say a single word to Lee Taeyong without wanting to grab their strings and rip it off from their fingers. Not that it would happen, though. He had tried it before, and his hand just passed through it like a ghost.

He’s not even entirely sure if he likes Lee Taeyong. Heck, he’s pretty sure he’s just weirdly drawn to him because he’s aware that someday, they would inevitably end up together, which was total bullshit because of all people, why Lee Taeyong? They haven’t even exchanged words for years until the bathroom incident during senior year happened!

It was weird, too. All throughout high school, never once did he ever think of exchanging a few words with Taeyong. Not even a simple hi or hello. And the fact that his string was connected to him gave him more reasons as to why he shouldn’t approach him. Just because their fates are inevitably intertwined with each other forever does not mean it’s a concrete advice for him to make friends with Taeyong. It just doesn’t cut it.

-

When college arrived, he still had the same dilemma.

“Just talk to him!” Johnny groaned before plopping down onto Jaehyun’s bed, causing the whole structure to shake. From the upper bunk, Yuta cursed him out.

“It’s not that simple!” Jaehyun exclaimed. He was sitting on one of those squeaky office chairs, his legs dangling out while his body faced the back of the chair.

“That’s what I’ve been telling the two of you for three years!” Yuta shouted from above. Both Jaehyun and Johnny glanced at his bunk.

“Well, it’s the only solution for you. If you really like him, then go for it,” Johnny shrugged.

“I don’t like him!”

Johnny casted Jaehyun a look. Is he serious?

“Jae, you’ve been pinning on him for almost five years now. I get that high school was a bit too early for you to sort out your feelings, but come on, we’re in college now! And it’s not like he doesn’t know who you are!”

“I agree with Johnny,” Yuta’s head appeared from the top bunk. “Besides, talking to him doesn’t automatically mean you’ll have to be in a relationship with him. Take it slow first. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t believe in your soulmate shit, anyways. I mean, no one does except for us.”

Jaehyun groaned and ran both of his hands through his hair. Later that night, the three of them attended a small college get together with some of their seniors. It was a welcoming party for the freshmen, they were told. Jaehyun was less than enthusiastic to go, but he figured a one night out wouldn’t affect his overall being. And besides, Yuta might need assistance with how hard he drinks.

“Johnny!” A third year student called form the other side of the room.

Jaehyun bowed to every person he saw inside the place. There were about a dozen or so students sitting by the long table set in the middle. A few chairs were scattered all over the room, and Jaehyun thought for a split second if he made the right decision to come tonight. It fucking reeked of alcohol.

“Don’t get wasted tonight, Yuta,” Jaehyun shot a glare at his friend. Yuta only smiled sheepishly at him before taking a seat beside another freshman.

Jaehyun sighed and lightly shook his head. There was no turning back now. He pulled a chair and sat down beside a girl. His eyes automatically wandered over to her hands, a habit he never overcame, and saw her string broken off and turned into black. It took a few seconds for him to recover from the slight shock that went through his body upon seeing her fate before he managed to let out a small smile as a greeting.

Sometimes, when people’s soulmates pass away, it’s the only way for one’s string to break. Jaehyun had seen it happen once. It was a difficult day for him and his father.

“Let’s drink!” A senior announced and started to pass around multiple bottles of soju.

Jaehyun received two in his hands. He glanced at Yuta and saw him already popping the cap off the bottle while talking animatedly to the person beside him. Jaehyun groaned inwardly and placed the other bottle onto the table. He was about to pop the cap off his drink when a familiar voice asked him.

“Are you going to drink that?”

Jaehyun froze and felt his string burn through his skin. He glanced at the person in front of him and saw Lee Taeyong gently smiling at him while pointing at his other bottle. How could he not notice him the first time they went in?

“Uh, no…” He trailed off.

Taeyong took the drink and proceeded to pop off its cap. Jaehyun cleared his throat and did the same, probably a bit harsher than usual, but who the fuck cares? Lee Taeyong’s sitting in front of him!

“Woah!” The girl beside Jaehyun laughed as she watched him chug down his drink in one go. “Slow down!”

Jaehyun shut his eyes and swallowed till the last drop. His throat felt like it was bathing in hell but he thought none of that at all. Immediately, his eyes searched for another bottle to drink. Is he probably planning on drowning himself with alcohol? Maybe, maybe not. Who cares, though? For sure, it’s not Lee Taeyong.

Jaehyun grabbed another bottle and was about to open the lid when he heard a soft chuckle. He glanced at Lee Taeyong and saw him smiling, amusement very evident in his eyes.

“I didn’t know you like to drink,” Taeyong said, his bottle still untouched.

“I don’t,” Jaehyun shrugged and popped the lid off his second bottle. “But I figured tonight’s an exception.”

Taeyong raised an eyebrow. “And why is that?”

Jaehyun set his drink down and glanced at him, nonchalance plastered all over his face. Thank goodness Yuta and Johnny were too preoccupied to even see the exchange of words happening in between the two of them, ‘cause God knows they’d already be laughing their asses off even before Jaehyun opens his mouth to explain. Not that it needs explaining, though. He’s just really defensive.

“Nothing. I just felt like drinking.”

Taeyong nodded and took a small sip on his drink. Jaehyun chugged down the bitter liquid in one go before turning back to Taeyong. Both his cheeks were now tainted with a rosy tint.

“What about you? You came here to drink?”

Taeyong shook his head. “I don’t really drink that much, but I figured it’d be rude if I didn’t come.”

Jaehyun nodded and glanced at his own hands, staring at the intense color wrapped around his right pinky and feeling the burn from being too close to his soulmate for the first time in months.

“What course did you take, by the way?” Taeyong asked.

“Fine Arts,” Jaehyun shifted in his seat, his eyes meeting Taeyong’s. “What about you?”

“Fine Arts, too.” Taeyong smiled widely. “You know, you don’t strike me as someone who would take up Fine Arts.”

“Why?” Jaehyun raised an eyebrow. “Was it because of my brooding persona during high school?”

Taeyong chuckled, shaking his head. “No! Well, maybe a little bit, but I never saw you as someone who would take a liking to Fine Arts.”

“How come?”

“I don’t know. It’s just, you were always so quiet and reserved back then. I even thought you hated me that’s why I never really approached you that much.”

Jaehyun let out a scoff and a chuckle. “Really? I have no reasons to hate you!”

“That’s what I said!” Taeyong laughed. “But you were really intimidating, you know?”

Jaehyun shrugged and grabbed another bottle. “Well, you’re not the first one to say that. A lot of people find me intimidating, and I seriously don’t get why they do. I’m nice!”

“I can see that now,” Taeyong chuckled.

It went silent between the two of them after that. Jaehyun cleared his throat and took an already opened bottle from the table, not minding whose drink it was since some of the people they’re with were already tipsy and doing things they’d probably regret the day after. It was a good thing Jaehyun’s not a lightweight. At that moment, though, he wished he was, ‘cause the string was growing warmer and warmer around his finger and it’s fucking testing his patience for the night.

Taeyong bit his lower lip and grabbed his bottle. The liquid inside was barely touched at all, but he didn’t mind. He never liked alcohol, anyway.

“You know,” he said, casting a glance at Jaehyun. “It’s nice catching up with someone I know. Although, we never really had any interactions during high school, it’s still nice.”

“Touché,” Jaehyun raised his bottle before drinking from it. Taeyong watched him with a huge smile plastered across his pretty face, and Jaehyun wished he didn’t have that pretty fucking face because maybe Johnny and Yuta were right after all.

-

“You’re right,” Jaehyun groaned the next day, still lying flat across his bed. From the top bunk, he could hear Yuta groaning in pain and asking for a bottle of water and an advil.

“About what?” Johnny yawned and propped his elbows on the back rest of Jaehyun’s swivel chair.

“I like Lee Taeyong.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and stood up from the chair. Jaehyun groaned and rolled over so he could bury his face onto his pillow.

“We already knew that, Jae,” Johnny’s voice was laced with nonchalance. “You’re only realizing that now? What happened last night for you to finally come to your senses?”

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun’s voice was muffled. “He was there and he talked to me.”

“He talked to you?” Johnny repeated.

“Can I have a glass of fucking water?” Yuta shouted. The other two ignored him.

Jaehyun moaned and turned on his back. “He talked to me and told me it was nice catching up with someone he knew. After he said that, he smiled at me, and he just fucking smiled!”

“Did you get his number, though?” Johnny crossed his arms over his chest. “Please tell me you did. It’s already tiring hearing Yuta whine about Dong Sicheng. I don’t need your stupid ass to do the same.”

Jaehyun ignored him. He lifted his right hand and stared at the string tied around his pinky finger. It was glowing faintly. The thread went over his legs, onto the floor, and under the door where it disappeared in sight. He can’t believe his friends are right!

On the bedside table, Jaehyun’s phone buzzed. Johnny glanced at it and saw a message from someone named ‘soulmate’. He chuckled at the name and turned to his friend.

“Your soulmate texted you,” he scoffed at Jaehyun.

Jaehyun groaned and shut his eyes, feeling his heart beating wildly inside his chest and the string growing warmer and warmer around his finger.

“You guys are fucking useless!” Yuta exclaimed from the top bunk. The other two proceeded to ignore him.

-

To say Jaehyun enjoys spending time with Taeyong is an understatement. He really did, but he didn’t enjoy the feeling of his string practically burning a hole right through his finger. Taeyong seemed unbothered by it, though, so maybe it’s all in Jaehyun head.

“Dancing or singing?” Taeyong asked before taking a bite on his burger.

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun shrugged. “I like both. What about you? Dancing or singing?”

“Dancing, of course. I don’t really sing that much.”

“I haven’t heard you sing yet, though.”

“And you probably never will,” Taeyong chuckled. “I’m more into dancing that’s why I spend more time with it than singing.”

Jaehyun scoffed and placed his half eaten burger onto his plate. “I know where our next night out will be,” he smirked.

Taeyong furrowed his eyebrows and took another bite on his burger. Jaehyun grabbed the nearest drink on their table. “Karaoke,” he chuckled and took a sip.

Taeyong groaned and threw his head back, his head limping to the side. Jaehyun watched him in amusement as he continued to feast on his drink while Taeyong whined about how most karaoke rooms smell like body odor, alcohol, and smoke combined. Well, he’s not wrong.

“It’s disgusting!” Taeyong grimaced and rested his elbows onto the table. Jaehyun glanced at the string tied around his friend’s left pinky and saw it in a deep shade of red. The thread trailed down the corner of their small table.

Depsite being close to Taeyong practically every day, Jaehyun still can’t shake the burning feeling pressing onto his pinky finger every time he would do something that concerned the other. It was as if every move is deeply connected to the other.

He likes Lee Taeyong. He’s pretty fucking sure about that now. Still, he made no advances on him in the fear of ruining what they currently have and what they potentially could have in the near future, which sounded dumb even to him. They’re soulmates! As absurd as it sounds, Fate’s already written their story, and the endgame would always end up the same.

His choices to not make a move on Taeyong, though, led the both of them to a path that was a bit too confusing and infuriating at the same time.

-

When Taeyong told Jaehyun he liked him, he expected a whole different reaction.

To see the look on Jaehyun’s face when he told him that was probably the cherry on top of Taeyong’s year. How Jaehyun did not notice his small advances, though, was still a question to him. Maybe Jaehyun’s really just dense, maybe he’s choosing to ignore the signs, or maybe’s he’s not interested at all.

The truth is, Jaehyun was way too preoccupied with the damned string and sorting out his feelings to even focus on other things. Also, as much as he did not want to admit it, he was a bit scared of rejection. In the end, progress between the two of them never came.

“I don’t like you anymore, though,” Taeyong shrugged and proceeded to work on his canvas. “I guess it was just infatuation, and besides, I think we’re better off as friends.”

Oh.

Jaehyun let out a nervous chuckle. He was a mess inside, and he could practically feel the beating of his heart climbing up his throat. At the corner of his eyes, he saw their strings flickering, the red intensifying for a moment before turning into a more muted shade.

“But you really had no clue?” Taeyong glanced at him. “I thought I was being too obvious.”

“I… never noticed,” Jaehyun bit his lower lip and stared at Taeyong’s canvas. It was a painting of someone’s hands.

“Well, at least now I don’t have to worry about you liking me back. It was a bit tiring, to be honest, and slightly annoying. I’d rather have us stay as friends than have things awkward for the both of us.”

Jaehyun slowly nodded at that. “Yeah…” Jaehyun trailed off. “You’re absolutely right.”

“Did you ever think about dating me, though?”

Jaehyun felt his feet go cold. He balled his fists under the table and tried to seem as calm as possible even when his conscience was already screaming at him to just confess, confess, confess…

“Actually, no, don’t answer that,” Taeyong chuckled. “I don’t want to deflate my ego.”

“Well, if it makes you sleep at night, then, yes, I did think about it once,” Jaehyu sighed. Taeyong’s eyes lingered on him for a few seconds. “During high school, freshman year.”

After I found out you were my soulmate.

“W-what?”

“It was a long time ago. I guess I used to have a crush on you back then, but it disappeared after some time.”

Taeyong put down his brush and leaned on the back rest of his seat. Jaehyun watched him with curious eyes. It was silent for a few seconds, and the silence made Jaehyun focus more on the burning sensation pressing onto his right pinky finger.

“Wow,” Taeyong muttered after a while. “Maybe we’re really better off as friends, huh?”

Jaehyun internally scoffed at that. If only he knew.

-

After the small conversation they had, Jaehyun thought things would get a bit weird between the two of them. It was quite a surprise for him when, instead of growing apart, the two of them became more inseparable. Not that he was complaining, though, but it made things a bit more difficult for him to handle.

One night, during sophomore year, Jaehyun heard Taeyong sing for the first time.

They were drinking with some of their friends inside a private karaoke room. Yuta was already drunk off his ass, sashaying around the room like he was on a catwalk. Jaehyun and Johnny had to pull him away from the pole a couple of times that night to stop him from stripping into his underwear and dance obscenely for everyone to see.

“Let me live my dream!” Yuta slurred while Johnny forcefully pushed him onto the couch. Some of their friends laughed and handed them more beers to drink.

“Just sit your ass down, Nakamoto,” Johnny grumbled. “We don’t want to carry your body to the dorms later!”

Yuta giggled and decided to watch the multi-colored lights instead. Jaehyun shook his head at him and looked around the room. He felt his vision swim are the sight of countless of strings running across each other all over the place.

“Hey,” Johnny nudged Jaehyun. “Your soulmate’s singing.”

“What?” Jaehyun grimaced at the loud noise.

“Your soulmate’s singing!” Johnny repeated, a bit louder this time.

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and turned to look at the other side of the room where the karaoke was. He saw a few more students cheering and clapping while a familiar love song played on the machine. If he hadn’t seen Taeyong’s unmistakable frame in front, holding the mic near his lips, he would’ve ignored them and turned away.

Jaehyun’s mouth parted in awe. Beautiful wasn’t enough for him to describe how he saw Taeyong that night. It was more than that. Something more intricate and reserved, like a painting.

Taeyong chuckled when he got some of the lyrics wrong and turned to look at a few of his friends, his cheeks a bit flushed at his mistake. Even from afar, Jaehyun could see Taeyong’s string glowing bright red in the dark.

Taeyong mouthed a few words to someone, his smile widening, his doe-like eyes turning into crescent moons. He was practically glowing even under the dim lights. He passed the mic onto another person and walked towards the someone he was talking to. Jaehyun’s eyes followed his careful and timid steps along the way.

“Is that Kim Doyoung?” Johnny asked from behind.

Jaehyun could practically feel his throat dry up when Taeyong sat down beside another man. He could feel his insides churning, his whole body slowly burning up while something cold and menacing grew at the pit of his stomach. Unknowingly, he clenched his fists at his sides, feeling the string burn right through his palm.

Jaehyun saw no point in getting jealous over someone so pathetic. Why would he? Taeyong’s his soulmate, and they’re already bound together, anyways. Still, seeing the way Taeyong’s whole demeanor change just by being with Kim Doyoung ignited a flame from within him. Selfish as he may be to the one he loves, he knew better than to meddle with Fate.

Jaehyun scoffed and walked out of the room without another word.

-

“What do you think I should wear?” Taeyong asked. He was sitting on Jaehyun’s swivel chair, gently swaying. “He said we’ll go to the movies and visit this museum nearby.”

Yuta, who was sitting on the couch next to Johnny, coughed. Jaehyun glanced at them for a split second and saw Johnny elbowing their friend.

“Something comfortable,” Jaehyun let his eyes trail back to where Taeyong was. Unlike any other day, Taeyong’s presence today seemed misplaced ad foreign. To Jaehyun, it felt like he was talking to someone very distant to him rather than a close friend.

“Should I wear make-up? Do you think he’d like that?”

Jaehyun sighed and pursed his lips. “Yong, you don’t have to impress him. You’re already pretty enough.”

“But I want to,” Taeyong pouted.

Jaehyun lightly shook his head in disbeief. “Whatever you want. I’m sure he’ll still be glad to see you nonetheless,” he said and proceeded to read his book once again. The letter only swam in front of his eyes, though, but he deemed it better than having to painfully stare at Taeyong’s pretty face for a period of time.

-

The existence of the string does not indicate immediate effects on one’s fate in the field of love, and Jaehyun knew that. It was hidden to the eyes of many for a reason. It was masked into oblivion for people to be able explore the depths of what love really is, which also solidifies the reason behind the existence of different types of love, and also to avoid the intervention in people’s written fates.

Jaehyun had been able to see it all, and even then, he had known not to meddle with Fate no matter how absurd things may appear. He understood the importance behind those principles.

“What’s holding you back?” Johnny asked while they were drinking at an almost empty barbecue place in the middle of the freezing night. Jaehyun did not answer. His eyes remained glued onto the red string wrapped around his right pinky finger.

“Is it Kim Doyoung?” Johnny raised his eyebrows.

“No…” Jaehyun muttered under his breath.

“Then what?” Yuta asked, his mouth half full. “Are you afraid he’s going to reject you? I told you you should’ve made a move during freshman year. You missed your chance.”

“Jae, you can’t keep moping around like this,” Johnny sighed. “They’ve only known each other for a couple of months. I’m sure it’s nothing serious yet.”

Yuta nodded in agreement and picked up his chopsticks. Jaehyun glanced at his friend’s hand and saw his string in the same color as Johnny’s. Pale and very thin.

“Give it a couple more months and they’ll be over by the end of the semester,” Yuta shrugged. “Taeyong’s quite indecisive, too.”

“He already told me he loves Doyoung.”

Both Johnny and Yuta froze. Jaehyun sighed and leaned on the backrest of his seat, feeling drained all of a sudden. Johnny shifted on his seat and grabbed a bottle from the table. He poured half of it into a clear glass and passed it onto Yuta.

Despite not seeing and not knowing, the two of them had spent enough time with Jaehyun to know the unwritten rules when it comes to how soulmates and fate works. No meddling. Not even at times like this.

“He loves Doyoung,” Jaehyun repeated. There was something unsettling about his voice. Something dark and heavy. Like a dejected man, lonely in a continuous abyss.

“You love him, too…” Yuta whispered. “You loved him first.”

“He doesn’t know that.”

“Then, tell him.”

Jaehyun sighed and shook his head. Sometimes, he wished he never had the ability to see through the unknown, because he never knew watching someone you love fall for someone else felt like life’s slowly draining you out. Damn soulmates and damn the strings if it were to torment like it never existed in plain sight. Fate is fucking cruel and a little bit of a bitch, but Fate knows what’s best…

So, the three of them waited, and waited, and waited, and hoped for the lost years to be worth it.


End file.
